Runnin' Utes Fall to Kansas State in Down to the Wire Clash

Tuesday, January 20

Manhattan, KS / Bramlage Coliseum

7:00 PM

University of Utah

9-10,1-5Big 12

Kansas State

10-9,1-5Big 12

Utah

Kansas St.

Runnin' Utes Fall to Kansas State in Down to the Wire Clash

1/20/2026 10:12 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Highlights Postgame Presser

Terrence Brown scored 33, including 19 in the second half, but Utah fell 81-78 after a back-and-forth battle with the Wildcats.

By: Austin Eames

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Utah men's basketball team fell to Kansas State 81-78 after a back-and-forth battle Tuesday night inside the Bramlage Coliseum.

Utah (9-10, 1-5 Big 12) opened the contest well, jumping out to a 7-2 advantage (17:07) after a pair of scores from junior guard Terrence Brown.

The Runnin' Utes continued to roll until Kansas State (10-9, 1-5 Big 12) fired off a sequence of six consecutive scores, taking an 18-12 lead at the 13:39 mark on a 10-3 scoring run that followed a Seydou Traore bucket at 15:24.

The Wildcats stretched their advantage to 28-18 before Utah responded with a Don McHenry basket at the 8:56 mark. McHenry's score sparked a 16-6 run for the Utes, capped by his own three-pointer at 5:08 that tied the game, 34-34.

A few possessions later, down 46-39 with 1:14 to play, Utah closed the period with a quick 4-0 run to get within one score of Kansas State, 46-43, heading into the break.

Despite similar halftime point totals, each team found success in a different way—with Utah scoring 26 of its first-half points in the paint, while the Wildcats were potent from beyond the arc with 30 first-half points coming on three-pointers.

Utah opened the second with a 4-0 run to take a 47-46 lead on a basket from Brown at 19:20. The early lead change would be the first of six in the period, as the half was defined by sequences of back-and-forth scoring.

After several minutes of trading baskets, the Utes built their largest advantage of the contest at the 11:30 mark when a McHenry three-pointer capped an 8-0 run, giving Utah a 60-55 edge.

Minutes later, with Utah ahead 75-74 following a self-made 6-0 stretch from Brown, the Utes relinquished their lead after a three-point play from the Wildcats

Brown, who scored 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting in the second half, would go on to tie the game at 77-77 on a layup with 1:00 to play. Despite the effort, Kansas State regained its advantage on the next possession and went on to defeat Utah at home, 81-78.

Brown led Utah with 33 points, three shy of his career-high of 36 points set earlier this season against Weber State. The junior made his presence known on both ends of the floor, adding 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists. Traore contributed 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal, while McHenry rounded out Utah's double-figure scorers with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

BY THE NUMBERS

With his second game this season with 30-plus points, Terrence Brown becomes the fifth Utah player since 1996-97 to record multiple games of 30-plus in a single season… (Branden Carlson, 4 games in '23-24; Sedrick Barefield, 2 games in '18-19; Andrew Bogut, 2 games in '04-05; Keith Van Horn, 5 games in '96-97)
With 12 FGM against Kansas State, Terrence Brown also becomes the 14^th Ute to make 12-plus FGs in a single game (since 1996-97)
- TB also becomes the third Ute with multiple games of 12+ FGM in a single season since 1997… (Terrence Brown, 2 games in '25-26; Branden Carlson, 4 games in '23-24; Keith Van Horn, 3 games in '96-97).
Utah won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Kansas State 34-29
The Utes also outpaced the Wildcats in paint points, 40-32

UP NEXT
Utah returns to the Beehive State to prepare for the second game against in-state rival #13/13 BYU this Saturday, Jan. 24, inside the Marriott Center. Tip-off is slated for 3:30 p.m. (MST) on FOX with Aaron Goldsmith and former Stanford Cardinal Casey Jacobsen on the call as the Runnin' Utes look to secure their first win down south since Dec. 10, 2014.

SEASON TICKETS & MINI PLANS
Fans can choose between two mini plans; the Saturday ONLY Plan starts at $125 while the Conference ONLY plan starts at $150. Single-game tickets for conference games are also on-sale starting at just $10 per ticket.

Fans interested in buy season tickets, mini plans or single-game tickets (non-conference) can do so by going online at UtahTickets.com or by phone at 801-581-UTIX (8849).

For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, X and Instagram. Fans can also stay connected on their mobile devices or tablets with the Utah 360 app.

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